Don’t turn our National Parks into billboards

Update 1/9/17: Unfortunately, the NPS has ignored the voices of the public, and has quietly approved Director's Order 21, allowing greater corporate presence and influence in our National Parks. Read more >

A proposal currently being considered by the National Park Service will remove rules requiring that parks remain free of commercialism. The new policies direct parks to actively seek donations from corporate vendors, while also liberalizing rules on “donor” recognition and lifting restrictions on naming rights in parks. That means your visit to a national park will increasingly become marred by product placement in visitors’ centers and on signage, benches, paving stones, and park vehicles.

How long before our beautiful mountain vistas are tarnished by the logos of Coca Cola, General Electric, McDonald’s, and Budweiser? And what a sad message to send to children: that our cherished national resources are for sale to the highest bidder in the quest for commercial profits.

We believe Congress should adequately fund the preservation and maintenance of our national parks. These protected spaces should be a refuge from the hardships of everyday life, including the advertising and commercialism that surround us. The National Park Service needs additional resources, but the answer is not to deface our parks with corporate logos.

Please sign our petition and tell the National Park Service to keep our parks free of corporate marketing!